Mule spinning device



OCL 29, 1940. R, GARD I 2,219,685

MULE SPINNING DEVICE Filed 'June 16, 1938 I I r L 3+ k *4 7 '32 43 4915-0 35 6/ 38 52 INVENTOR- rl'CLGard.

% A TT O RNE Y UNITE Patented Oct. 29,

PATENT OFFICE MULE SPINNING DEVICE Robert A. Gard, Charlton City, Mass. Application June 16, 1938, Serial No. 213,981

r 6 Claims. (01. 57-46) This invention relates 'to improvements in mule spinning machin es and. has particular reference to improved means and method of Winding yarn onto the bobbins of such machines.

. One of the principal objects of the invention is'to provide improved trolling the windings means and method of conof yarn onto the bobbins of a mule spinning machine so as to provide a .relatively short substantially continuously tapered Wind at .the start or adjacent the head of said bobbins.

Another object of theinvention is to provide improved means and method of winding yarn onto the bobbins of. a mule spinning machine after the said yarn has beentwisted and drawn and is ready for use in yarn will unwind mor during the weaving operation andmore of the windings of yarn may bins than has hithertoweaving, whereby the said e freely from the bobbins be removed from the bob-. been possible prior to their being ejected from the shuttles of such weaving machines.

Another object is to provide improved means and method of greatly reducing the percentage of yarn wastewhich h as hitherto been inevitable with automatic type weaving machines.

Another object is to provide novel means and method for indirectly ficiency of operation greatly increasing the efwhile decreasing the cost of..production of automatic type weaving machines,

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in panying drawing and connection with the accomit will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement of parts and methods shown and described without departing from the spirit 'of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details and steps of the method shown and described as the preferred forms only have been tion.

given by way of illustration;

Fig. II is a fragmentary diagrammatic side elevation showing the relation of the device embodying the invention with the associated operating mechanism of the machine to which the invention is applied and which accomplishes the result desired;

Fig. III is a fragm entary side view showing the head of a bobbin and the characteristics of the windings as formed by the improved means and method of the invention;

Fig. IV is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified form of rock lever construction showing portions thereof in cross section;

Fig. V is a fragmentary view showing a modified form of rod adjustment means.

The invention relates particularly to the provision of an attachment for use with mule spin- 10 ning machines whereby differently controlled windings of the yarn on the bobbins at the start of the winding operationmay be formed.

It has been usual in the past, particularly for bobbins which are to be used with an automatic type weaving machine wherein the bobbins are automatically inserted in and ejected from the weaving. shuttles during the operation of the machine, to build up the windings at the start I or adjacent the head of the bobbin so as to insure the provision of sufficient yarn to enable the shuttles'to travel across the lathe or weaving head. of the weaving machine and back after the automatic ejecting mechanism of such weaving'machines has been tripped and rendered 5 ready to operate by a feeler which engages the walliof the'bobbin just prior to the ejecting operation.

With the usual method of providing sufficient yarn at the head of the bobbin, to enable the accomplishing of the above result, the windings at the head of the bobbin were so bunched that the yarn could not be drawn freely from the bobbin, causing'undue breakage and resulting in excess wastage of yarn when the bobbins were ejected.

Many different devices have been employed for providing means for building up the yarn at the head of the bobbin, such as separate tapered members, which were attached to the upper sur- 40 face of the builder rail, or means for holding the faller arm or faller arm roll away from the rail adjacent the rear end thereof at the start of the winding operation. Such prior art arrangements caused a bunched, tight winding to be 5 formed, causingthe above undesired results of accidental breakage and excessive waste of yarn.

One of the prime objects, therefore, of the invention is to overcome the above difficulties by providing gradually substantially continuously tapered windings adjacent the head of the bobbin so that when the yarn is drawn from the bobbin during the weaving operation, the yarn will feed'freely from the bobbin when a point is reached wherein the feeler of the automatic 66 ejecting mechanism engages the wall of the bobbin and the shuttle then makes its last trip across the operating head or lathe of the weaving machine back into the shuttle box from which the bobbin is ejected and a new bobbin is automatically placed in the shuttle. The gradually tapered windings are such that they allow the yarn to be drawn freely from the bobbin and thereby greatly reduce the tendency of the yarn to break as the end of the windings on the bobbin is approached prior to ejection and allows more of the yarn to be drawn from the bobbin with the result that a less amount of yarn remains on the bobbin when ejected from the shuttle and thereby greatly reduces yarn wastage.

The method of operation of the mule spinning machine resulting from the device embodying the invention also greatly increases the efiiciency of operation and production of such machines as it puts less strain on the yarn during the operation of building up the short tapered wind and thereby greatly reduces breakage of the yarn during said winding operation. The improved device is such that the adjustment for bringing about the above result may be made separately or independently of the builder rail or shoe adjustments. None of the operating and adjustable parts of the present device require detachment and may be quickly and easily adjusted without disturbing the general adjustments and operation of such machines.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

the device embodying the invention comprises acarriage I having a plurality of spindles 2 thereon for supporting the bobbins 3. The spindles 2 are supported for rotation by means of a belt or the like 4 connected with a pulley 5 on the spindles and with a rotating drum or the like not shown. The rotation of the spindles 2 is by the usual means known in the art. The carriage I is provided with wheels 6 which engage suitable rails I for longitudinal movement toward and away from the supporting means 8 on which the spools 9 are mounted. The spools 9 have the 45 yarn I0 wound thereon. The said yarn is adapted to be drawn through suitable rollers I I and I2 and is connected to the spindles 2 adjacent the heads of the bobbins. This is a conventional function.

Suitable guide wires, such as the guide faller wire I3 and tension faller wire I4, are provided for controlling the position of the windings of the ends I5 on the bobbins 3 and, also, for maintaining the desired tension on the ends during said winding.

The guide faller wire and tension faller wire are carried by suitable hook-like supporting arms I6 and I1 respectively attached to shafts l8 and I9. The said shafts are rotatably mounted on 50 suitable bearings carried by the supports 2| and 22 attached to the front of the carriage I. The

shaft I8, to which the arms I6, carrying the guide faller wire I3 is attached, is rotated to raise and lower the said guide faller wire by means of a faller arm 23. This faller arm is raised or low ered through its connection with a suitable roller 24 which engages a builder rail 25.

The builder rail 25 is mounted on spaced supports 26 and 21 by sliding connections 28 and 29 7. which permit the said builder rail to be raised or lowered in said spaced supports.

The carriage I is moved forwardly longitudinally of the rails I by means of a cable 30 connected to the said carriage, as illustrated at 3|.

75 The cable travels over a suitable idler pulley 32 and extends rearwardly to suitable operating mechanism such as a variable speed cable winder not shown. A similar cable, connected with suitable operating pulleys, is employed for moving the carriage rearwardly at variable speeds which is gradual at the start and at the end of said movement. This is controlled by the usual conventional speed regulating mechanism of such machines. This mechanism is of the usual conventional prior art type, which may be controlled to regulate the speed and extent of movement to accomplish the results desired.

The above described mechanism is of the conventional type known in the art and for this reason is not shown. the machine may be found in a publication on High Speed Mules by Johnson & Basset, Incorporated, Worcester, Massachusetts, which description is of the machine embodying the invention and is, therefore, part of the disclosure relied upon in this specification.

The improved construction which embodies the essence of the present invention and by which the method of the invention is accomplished, comprises a rock lever 33 pivotally connected at 34 to a suitable bracket support 35. The rock lever 33 has a roller 36 adjacent the upper end thereof which is adapted to engage a taper 31 adjacent the rear end of the builder rail '25 and through forward movement of said roller 36 moves the said builder rail upwardly in the bearing support 28. The rock lever 33 is moved by means of a tie rod 38, pivotally connected thereto, as illustrated at 39 adjacent the rear end of the rod and which is pivotally connected at 40 adjacent its forward end to a lever 4|.

The lever 4| is pivotally connected at 42 to a bracket support 43 adjacent the front of the machine. The lever 4| has a spring pressed plunger 43 slidably supported thereon and oper- 1 ated by a suitable hand grip lever 44. The grip lever 44 is pivotally attached at 45 to the lever 4| and is also pivotally connected at 45 to the upper end of the rod 43.

A spring 41 tends to constantly urge the rod 43 in a downward direction. Whenthe lever 4| is operated in the direction indicated by the arrow 48, the rock lever 33 having the roller 36 thereon is moved from a position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. I to a position indicated in full .1

lines in Fig. I, beneath the rear end of the builder rail 25. It is to be understood that the said rock lever may be placed at any desired position adjacent the rear end thereof. When in the position indicated in Fig. II, the lower. end 49 of the rod 43 engages in a suitable indent or socket 50 in the base of the bracket 43 to lock the said rock lever 33 in its adjusted position.

A suitable adjustable stop screw 5| may be provided as shown in Fig. II with which the rock lever 33 may engage when swung upwardly about its pivot 34. This adjustable stop 5| provides variable means for limiting movement of the rock lever 33 about its pivot 34 and thereby provides means for controlling the amount of, upward A thorough description of movement of the rear end of the builder rail 25.

The tie rod 38-may be formed in two sections and may be provided with a suitable turn buckle 52 threadedly connected to the aligned threaded ends of the tie rod 38. rotation of the turn buckle the tie rod 38 may be lengthened or shortened as desired. This also provides means for controlling the amount of lift of the rear end of the builder rail 25.

If desired, as shown in Fig. IV, the rock lever 33 It is apparent that by lever 33.

may have its roller 36 pivotally mounted on a separate adjustable stem 53. The stem 53' is provided with a threaded shank 54 having a longitudinal groove 55 therein. The rock lever 33 in this instance is provided with an opening 56 in which the shank 54 is slidably supported and a suitable key screw 61 is provided with an end fitting within the longitudinal groove 55 for holding the said stem against rotation in the opening 56, but permitting the saidv stem to be moved longitudinally in said opening. The stem 53 and roll 36, pivoted thereto, is raised or. lowered relative to the rock lever 33 by means of a nut 51 threadedly connected to the threaded shank 54. The nut 51 rests upon the upper end of the rock Through rotation of the-nut 51 the shank 54 is threaded upwardly or downwardly relative to the rock lever 33 so that the distance between the pivot connection 34 of the rock lever 33 and, pivot connection of the roller 36 may be increased or decreased. This, therefore, provides means for varying the length of the rock lever and the amount of movement of the rear end of the builder rail 25 upwardly when the hand lever 41 is operated. I

The lengthof the tie rod 38 may also be varied, as shown in Fig. V, in which instance the end of the said rod 38 connected to the hand lever 4|; is provided with a threaded extension 58 having adjustable nuts 59 and 60 thereon. In this instance, the threaded end of the rod 58 extends through a slot 6| in the end of the lever 4!. It is apparent that by adjusting the nut 59 inwardly or outwardly of the rod 38, the length of the said rod may be varied and this adjustment is retained by the lock nut 60.

It is'to be understood thatvarious different arrangements may be provided for controlling the extent of movement or tilt of the builder rail. The amount of lift or tilt of the builder rail is determined .by the characteristics or the type of winding desired and it is through this adjustment of the height and tilt of the builder rail from adjacent the rear end thereof at the startof the winding operation which produces the substantially continuously tapered winding.

The tapered windings which result from the builder rail adjustment and'associated operating mechanism forbringing about this adjustment, as shown at 62 in Fig. III, is of cone shape with the bottomof the cone adjacent the head 63' of the bobbin and tapering upwardly and blend- .ing with the body of the bobbin 3 at a point upwardly of said bobbin ranging between to 1 from the upper face of the head 63', depending upon the adjustment of the improved mechanism controlling said windings. Y

v The tapered windings result broadly by forming the first windings relatively close and with slightly more windings adjacent the bottom and gradually decreasing and slightly spacing the windings upwardlyof the bobbinuntil the uppermost point orlimit 'to which the tapered windings'are to be formed is reached. The windings are then directed downwardly from said point and are caused to bespread apart considerably as they progress downwardly toward the head of the bobbin. Thenext upward wind ngs are in close relation with'each other and simulate the first upward windings. is repeated until the graduallytapered windings of the amount desired are formed adjacent the base or head of the bobbin,as illustarted in Fig. III. It isto be understood that the spread of This operation the'windings, themovement of the carriage and the rotation of .the bobbin is so controlled, to-' gether with the movement of the guide faller and tension wires as to accomplish the results desired.

- The adjustment of the parts and the operation of the machine for bringing about this result is substantially as follows:

It is assumed that the doiiing has been completed and that the ends I are now wound on the bobbins 3 preparatory to starting the machine. The carriage I will now be over the main face 63 of the builder rail 25 as the carriage l is now in beyond the high point 64, of said rail. The face 63 is normally inclined rearwardly and downwardly. This inclination is such as tocause the face. 63 of the rail 25 to incline downwardly a controlled amount to cause the faller arm roll and the saidarm to drop gradually as the carriage I completes its inward motion. This causes the guide faller wire I3. operated 'by the faller arm to rise a controlled amount determined by the length of travel of the. carriage I along the face 63 and the pitch of the downward inclination of said face. This is the normal setting for completing the building up of the windings on the bobbin after the desired short windings are formed adjacent the head of the bobbin.

In carrying out the invention, the rear end of the builder rail 25 is elevated .a controlled amount by adjustment of the rock lever 33 through the lever 4| to change the pitch of the inclined face 63 and thereby cause the guide faller wire l3 to move upwardly of the bobbin 3 a restricted controlled amount of approximately 4 to 1 more or less, according to the setting brought about by the rock lever 33 when the carriage I is first moved inwardly. It is to be noted that the front end of the builder rail, that is,

the inclination of the face 66 adjacent the front of the rail is changed or slightly increased, from its normal angle, by said adjustment.

The windings on the bobbin during this upward movement of the guide faller wire will be relatively close at the start and will spread slightly as the guide faller wire l3 approaches the full extent of its first upward and restricted movement. The faller arm 23 is then disengaged from the faller roll 24, causing the guide and tensionv wires'l3 and M to move upwardly and simultaneously wind loose yarn to the top end of the bobbin atwhich position the bobbin ceases to rotate.

The carriage l is then ready to move outwardly orforwardly with the usual mechanism functioning tofeed the loose yarn II] from the spool 9. As the'loose yarn is fed from the spool, the

. outward movement of the carriage l draws and twists the yarn. This twisting is caused by simultaneous rotation of the bobbin.

Due to the fact that the faller arm 25 and roll 24 are disengaged, the guide and tension wires I3 and [4 remain stationary adjacent the upper end of the bobbin and thereby prevent any winding of yarn on said bobbin. The rotation ofthe bobbin, therefore, merely twists the yarn.

I When the carriage nears the limit of itsoutward or forward movement, the twisting operation is completed by further rotation of the bobbinacontrolled amount. When the twistin is completed, and before the winding operation can begin, the small amount of yarn between the top of the bobbin and the yarn already on the bobbin must be unwound. To do this the spindle 2 carrying the bobbin must be revolved in the opposite direction for a iew'turns. .This motion is termed the back-off as is usual in the'art of spinning.

The tension and. guide faller wires 13 and M are then operated by their usual known operating mechanism to move the tension wire I l upwardly and simultaneously move the guide taller wire l3 downwardly to take up this slack of the yarn removed from the bobbin during the backing ofi. The guide wire moves downwardly to a point adjacent the upper end of the first windmg.

As the guide wire !3 goes down the faller arm 25 goes up until it reaches a point where it is moved into interlocked relation with the faller arm roll 24. This engagement takes place after the twisting operation has been completed and at the position at which the carriage is located as the result of its beingeased in during the twisting operation. When the taller arm and roll are interlocked, the roll will be resting on the sharp increased incline 66 adjacent the front end of the builder rail 25.

The machine is then ready to start its second wind. As the carriage moves inwardly the taller arm roll 24, engaging the sharp incline 66 at the front end of the builder rail, causes the guide faller wire 98 to move downwardly quite rapidly, causing the windings in the downward direction of the bobbin to be spread considerably until the lowermost position of movement is reached. This lowermost position is reached as the taller arm roll M rides over the end t l of the sharp incline onto the main face 63 of the builder rail. The main face from this point, due to the adjustment brought about by raising the rock lever 33, will be slightly inclined downwardly a controlled amount as previously described above.

This causes the taller arm 25 to move downwardly and move the guide faller wire 13 gradualiy upwardly. At the start of this upward movement, the carriage moving mechanism is such that the carriage l moves in slowly causing the guide Taller wire E3 to likewise move slowly upwardly. Due to the fact that the bobbin 3 is simultaneously being continually rotated in the direction of winding, more windings will be made on the bobbin adjacent the bottom. These windings are gradually directed upwardly of the bobbin as the carriage moves in and as the guide wire !3 simultaneously moves upwardly. The speed of the carriage gradually increases as it continues to move in and thereby causes the guide wire !3, operated by the downward movement of the faller arm 25, as brought about by the degree of inclination of the main face 83 of the rail adjacent the innermost end thereof, to move upwardly with more speed and thereby reduce the windings and increase the space between said windings. The said spaced windings continue until the carriage reaches its innermost position.

This operation is repeated again with the result that a con shaped Winding 62, as shown in Fig. III, is formed adjacent the head 53 of the bobbin. This operation is repeated until the 'de sired amount of short windings are formed. There may be more or less short winding put on if desired.

The new mechanism is then disengaged by op eration of the hand lever M to move the roller 36 clear or the builder rail which allows the back end or the rail to drop to its usual normal position of use. The machine is then operated to complete the usual windings which fills the bob- -bin.

The. bobbin crabobbins are then removed and transferred for use in weaving loomsr The looms with which such bobbins are used, are of the usual automatic type wherein the bobbins are automatically positioned in and ejected from the weaving shuttles during the operation of the loom.

With the tapered wind 62 adjacent the head 63{ of the bobbin, as made by the present invention, only a relatively small amount of yarn remains on the bobbin when ejected from the shuttle. This is due to the fact thatthe yarn is allowed to be removed from the bobbin to a point adjacent the base of the taper prior to the operation of a device known in the art as a feeler 69, which causes the ejecting mechanism to function. The feeler does not operate until it engages the bare solid side wall of the bobbin and this engagement only takes place after the yarn has been fully removed from the area '56 which aligns with the feeler. When the area has been stripped of its windings, the feeler operates but the ejection does not take place until the shuttle travels across the lathe or head of the loom and returns back to the shuttle box at which the bobbin is ejected from the shuttle.

It is apparent, therefore, that suiiicient windings must be on the bobbin to permit this to take place. The tapered windings, as made by the present invention, is such that it not only provides the necessary amount of windings, but also allows the said yarn to be easily drawn from the bobbin. The tapered windings are such that accidental breaking of the yarn, prior to the ejection of the bobbin, is substantially eliminated and causes only a slight amount of yarn to remain on the bobbin and thereby eliminates undesired waste. This latter result is one of the outstanding features of the invention and overcomes the difficulties encountered with most prior art arrangements.

The inclination of the face 63, when in its normal prior art position of general use, is relatively steep as compared with the change of inclination brought about according to the present invention. The normal inclination has been such as to cause the guide faller' wire E3 to raise quite quickly and form substantially uniformly distributed windings throughout its span of movement. The inclination of the face 663, when in its normal prior art position of general use, is relatively less than when changed according to the present invention so that the usual windings in the downward direction were normally greater and closer than those resulting from the present invention. The increase of inclination of said face 58, resulting from the arrangement embodying the invention, reduces and increases the spacing of said downward windings due to the relatively quick rise and resulting quick drop of the guide faller wire which controls the position of the windings on the bobbin.

The windings resulting from the arrangement embodying the invention will be less at the top of the taper because the guide faller wire moves down with greater speed, due to the increased in cline of the face 66 and more windings are formed at the bottom or base of the taper because of the relatively slight inclination of the face 63 which has been decreased by the device embodying the invention, as stated above, and through the tendency of said slight inclination to cause the guide faller wire to move upwardly much more slowly at the start, resulting in more windings being formed at the base of the'bobbin. This is because of the relatively slow reversing movement of the guide faller wire brought about by the traversing of the high point 64 onto the face 63 at the start of the upward windings and the speed of inward movement of the carriage l is relatively slow at the start, as stated above. This slow inward movement of the carriage, and the increasing of the speed of the carriage after it has started its inward movement, combined with the decreased speed of upward movement of the guide faller wire, as brought about by the reducing of the inclination of the builder rail, all contribute to the forming of the short tapered wind 2. It is to be understood that although more windings are being formed at the base of the bobbin, said windings are gradually in an upward direction so that when the last of the windings are being removed from the bobbin in the weaving loom, the said yarn will flow freely from the bobbin. The angle of the face 66 may be changed, if desired, by adjustment of the screw or the like 68.

Due to the fact, therefore, that the windings progress upwardly a substantially continuous taper wind will be formed.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple, efiicient and economical means and method have been provided for accomplishing all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described the combination of a guide rail normally supported with its guide faces at given inclinations, means comprising a pivoted lever located adjacent one end of the guide rail and. having a contact member thereon for engagement with said guide rail, a second lever pivotally supported adjacent the opposed end of said guide rail and a tie rod connecting said levers whereby movement of the second lever will cause the contact member of the first lever to engage and lift or lower said guide rail a given amount about a given point of support of said guide rail to alter the inclinations of the guide faces amounts controlled by the movement of said second lever, said second lever having a latch member secured therewith to provide means for retaining the said second lever in adjusted position.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a guide rail for controlling the winding mechanism of said device, the said guide rail having a guide face supported at a given inclination, a rock lever pivotally supported adjacent one end of said guide rail and having a contact roll adjacent its free end adapted to engage said guide rail, a second lever pivotally supported adjacent the opposed end of said guide rail, a tie rod connecting said levers whereby movement of the second lever will be transmitted to the first lever and, through engagement of said contact roll with said guide rail, cause said guide rail to be raised or lowered about a given point of support to alter the inclination of said guide face, and means for locating said second lever in given adjusted position. i v

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a guide rail for controlling the winding mechanism of said device, said guide rail having a guide face thereon supported at a given inclination, a rock lever adjustable to varying lengths supported adjacent one end of said guide rail and having a contact member adjacent its free end adapted to engage said guide rail, a second lever pivotally supported adjacent the opposite end of said guide rail and a tie member for connecting said levers whereby a movement of the second lever will be transmitted to the first lever and, through the engagement of the contact of said first lever with the guide rail, cause the said guide rail to be raised or lowered about a given point of support, and means for retaining said second lever in adjusted position.

4. In a device of the character described the combination of a guide rail for controlling the winding mechanism of said device, said guide rail having a guide face thereon supported at a given inclination, a rock lever adjustable to varying lengths supported adjacent one end of said guide rail and having a contact member adjacent its free end adapted to engage said guide rail, a second lever pivotally supported adjacent the opposite end of said guide rail and a tie member adjustable to varying lengths connecting said levers whereby a movement of the second lever will be transmitted to the first lever and, through the engagement of the contact of said first lever with the guide rail, cause the said guide rail to be raised or lowered about a given point of support, and means for retaining said second lever in adjusted position.

5. In a device of the character described the combination of a guide rail normally supported with its guide faces at given inclinations, adjustable lift means located adjacent one end of said guide rail and a contact face thereon for engagement with a contact face on said guide rail, one of said contact faces being tapered, a lever pivotally supported adjacent the opposed end of said guide rail and a tie rod connecting said lever with said lift means whereby movement of said lever will cause the contact face of said lift means to engage the contact face of said guide rail to lift or lower said guide rail a given amount about a given point of support according to the respective positions of said contact faces to alter the inclinations of said guide faces amounts controlled by the movement of said lever, said lever having associated means for retaining said lever in adjusted position.

6. In a device of the character described the combination of a guide rail normally supported with its guide faces at given inclinations, means comprising a pivoted lever located adjacent one end of said guide rail and having a contact face for engagement with a contact face on said guide rail, one of said contact faces being tapered, a second lever pivotally supported adjacent the opposed end of said guide rail and a tie rod connecting said levers whereby movement of the second lever will cause the contact face of said first lever to engage the contact face on the guide rail at different locations and lift or lower said guide rail a given amount about a given point of sup- 'port of said guide rail to alter the inclinations of said guide faces amounts controlled by the movement of said second lever, said second lever having means thereon for retaining it in adjusted position.

ROBERT A. GARD. 

